Matissa Hollister awarded 2018 SSHRC Insight Grant

Congratulations to Matissa Hollister, Assistant Professor in Organizational Behaviour, awarded the 2018 SSHRC Insight Grant “Should I Stay or Should I Go – the Consequences of Job Mobility on Future Hiring Prospects”.

Today’s workers are faced with mixed messages about how to successfully navigate the changing labour market. The traditional model of finding job security and promotions with a single employer no longer seems viable. In response, many endorse a “boundaryless” approach of seizing new opportunities and embracing frequent moves between employers. Others, however, warn workers that they need to be cautious about the signal that too many moves sends to employers, that employers still prefer to hire workers who demonstrate a past history of stability and loyalty.

This project will use a resume audit study, a survey of Canadian and American workers, and interviews with employers and hiring software vendors to examine how past job stability plays a role in the hiring process. Furthermore, we will explore how employer hiring practices are developed and formalized within firms, providing deeper insight into where these employer preferences come from and where in the hiring process they come into play. We also will look into the future by examining how the introduction of automated resume screening and artificial intelligence are playing a role in these processes.

Prof. Hollister is principal investigator on this grant with collaborators Nicole Denier of Colby College and Xavier St-Denis of McGill University.